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Asian Pear A La Mode

I’ve never really been a huge fan of Asian pears. They’re not quite a pear, they’re not quite an apple…just never really knew what to do with them. So I wasn’t particularly excited to get one in my CSA box. It sat on the counter for a while and I began to worry that it would die there.

But suddenly…inspiration! I got an idea from a Nourishing Traditions recipe (I think, I was reading several cookbooks) and grabbed that pear, rescuing it from the certain doom of decay. I diced it up and sauteed it in some butter and cinnamon until it was starting to get soft and a little golden brown and delicious on the edges.

Rising out a fancy dessert dish (I rarely make desserts, so the dishes tend to sit around and get dusty), I filled it with the warm pear and put a small scoop of my homemade vanilla ice cream on it. For good measure, I topped the ice cream with two frozen raspberries (farmer’s market haul from last month, yeah) and dusted it with a little more cinnamon. It was a work of art!

When I tasted it, at first it didn’t seem sweet enough and I was tempted to put honey on it. But as the ice cream started to melt and mix in with the pear it was plenty sweet and I’m glad I didn’t add anything. I am still not an Asian pear fan, but this was a satisfying and beautiful dessert. Next time one of those fruits graces my CSA box I won’t be too disappointed.